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Predicting metabolic rate from heart rate in juvenile Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus
Marine Mammal Research Unit and Department of Zoology, University of
British Columbia, Hut B-3, 6248 Biological Sciences Road, Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
Present address: Alaska SeaLife Centre and the University of Alaska,
Fairbanks, PO Box 1329, Seward, Alaska 99664, USA
* Author for correspondence (e-mail: consortium{at}zoology.ubc.ca)
Accepted 9 March 2003
The validity of using heart rate to estimate energy expenditure in
free-ranging Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus was investigated by
establishing whether there is a relationship between heart rate (fH)
and oxygen consumption rate
(
O2) in captive
sea lions while swimming and resting. Four trained Steller sea lions (2 males
and 2 females; mass 87.4–194.4 kg; age 16 months–3 years) were
each equipped with a datalogger and two dorsal subcutaneous electrodes to
record electrocardiograms from which fH was calculated.
O2 (measured
using open-circuit respirometry) was simultaneously recorded while the
previously fasted animals were at rest within an enclosed dry metabolic
chamber or while they swam in an enclosed swim mill against water currents of
various speeds (0–1.5 m s–1). The mean regression
equation describing the relationship between fH (beats
min–1) and
O2 (ml
h–1 kg–0.60) for all four animals was
O2
=(71.3fH±4.3)–(1138.5±369.6) (means
± S.E.M.) (r2=0.69, P<0.01). The
relationship demonstrated between fH and
O2 while fasting
suggests that heart rate can potentially be used to monitor energy consumption
in free-ranging Steller sea lions. However, a short-term feeding experiment
revealed no significant increase in heart rate following a 6 kg or 12 kg meal
to match the observed increase in rate of oxygen consumption. This suggests
that heart rate may not accurately reflect energy consumption during digestion
events. Additional research should be conducted to further elucidate how the
relationship between heart rate and oxygen consumption is affected by such
factors as digestive state, stress and age.
Key words: heart rate, energy expenditure, Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus, oxygen consumption, metabolic rate.
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